Sunday, October 13, 2013

I had been toying with the idea of writing a blog since long time. But never could muster the courage to start one. I always thought, what if no one read it? What if no one liked it? What if I get negative comments?

But when I started this blog, I was surprised with the love and encouragement and lovely comments given by all of you. Some 40 odd posts later, I can say that I am very happy that I finally started the blog. I met (online) so many of you wonderful bloggers, writing such wonderful posts. I felt so welcome here. A heartfelt thanks to all of you.

And I am pleased to announce that very soon I am starting an online market for organic clothing and cosmetics for everyone- from babies to gentlemen and ladies. No worries of picking natural, green, herbal, eco-friendly things as organic, because this market will only have organic. And since organic does not have chemicals you will have an added advantage of using eco-friendly, non-toxic and safe products.

I hope that you would shower the same love and affection to this venture too.

Please sign in with your email on our website www.ecomartindia.com to know about its launch. Tell your friends too. There is going to lot of fun at launch. Everyone is invited :)

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Have you changed your grocery to organic products? Have you been consciously eating more of organic foods and worried about your vrat ka khana would not be organic?

Here are some resources to help you out.

Organic Tattva has Organic Amaranth Seeds (Rajgira Seeds as known in India). It also has organic jaggery. Its products are available online. Some stores also have them.

Down to Earth has organic buckwheat (kuttu), buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta), organic jaggery, peanuts, ghee and organic nuts like cashew, almond, raisin etc. It is available in lots of online as well as offline stores. Big Bazaar also stores it.

24 letter Mantra also has organic nuts and jaggery. It is also stored in Big/Food Bazaar.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

The 9 days of festivity and fasting has begun. There is a little nip in the air and celebrations all around.Navratri or Nine Nights (in Sanskrit) is a festival dedicated to Hindu Deity Maa Durga. It is celebrated with much fervour in India.

It is also time for Garba, which means getting decked up in beautiful clothes and jewellery and dance with abandon. Or, if you are in Eastern India, just wear beautiful clothes, jewelleries and hop from pandal to pandal.

So, this festive season, would you stand out from the crowd and wear jute and khadi instead. Don't get alarmed. Not just yet. Turns out there are beautiful sarees and lehengas made of Jute Silk and Khadi and Khadi silk. Apparently, very fine threads of jute can be separated out and made into imitiation silk.

Have a dekko

Wishing you a very Happy Navratri!!!

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Thursday, October 3, 2013

In spirit of 2nd October, instead of 'Thrifty Thursday Finds', I bring today some non-violent products.

Ahimsa Honey - Its a honey which is bee-friendly!! Tribes of India in Orissa and South India have already been following this method since time immemorial. Now with the rise of veganism, it is in great demand. For the uninitiated, Veganism is different from Vegetarianism. Vegan people do not consume animal products as well as products derived from animals such as milk, honey etc. I could not find any site selling non-violent or Ahimsa honey. Although there are some 'Forest honey' and 'Organic honey' available on some sites.

Ahimsa Silk - Silk which is produced after the moth has left the cocoon. I have written a post on different types of silks. You can read the post here. Some Ahimsa silk sarees are available for sale on different online sites.

Vegan Shoes/Bags/Belts - Products that are not made from leather. Sensoveg is one such company in India making 'Vegetarian Shoes'.

Do you know of more such products? Let us know

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Friday, September 27, 2013

No, no, no......I was not going to talk about that soymilk brand. Neither about Silk Smita. Nope. Nada. What were you thinking? wink, wink

I am going to talk about our favourite silk, which is an unique and
one of the oldest fibres of the world, aptly titled as ‘Queen of Fibres’. After
all, who doesn’t drool after silk and feel like a queen after wearing it.

So, when I came across
this thing called ‘Organic Silk’, I was intrigued. We all know that silk is
made from cocoons who live on mulberry trees. And we all know that organic
means something that does not have chemicals. So, if silk is made from cocoons
how can it have chemicals? Which means all silk is supposed to organic. Simple,
isn’t it?

Turns out, nothing in
this world is simple. silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry
silkworm Bombyx mori, which is
a caterpillar and not a worm!! Go figure. For more technical definition of
silk, you can see it here.

What exactly is Organic Silk?

While I was searching for information on silk production, I found few
quite graphic representations, due to which I will not be able to look at my
silk sarees the same way again (at least for some time!!). But mainly the
process involves, rearing the moths in captivity and dissolving them in boiling
water for extraction of fibre.

I know, I know, you get it, so I will stop
blabbering.

Well, the production process is what differentiates silk from organic
silk. Organic silk is extracted when the silkworm is allowed to emerge from the
cocoon naturally. Also the mulberry trees are not spread with insecticides or
other chemicals. No synthetic additives are added during its manufacturing
process. Organic silk is also dyed with natural dyes.

Other types of Silk

Vegan Silk or Peace Silk or Ahimsa Silk – Very much like organic silk where the cocoons are allowed to hatch
naturally

Raw Silk– Simply Silk that has not
been chemically processed.

Pros of Organic Silk

Some claim that it has
medicinal and anti-inflammatory properties. However no such research or study
is there to substantiate it.

Since, it does not have
chemical dyes, it is definitely going to help people with sensitive skin.

And if you are vegan,
it is going to give a huge boost to your conscience.

Cons of Organic Silk

No Certification of
Government regulation of Organic Silk.

Though available in India,
it is very costly.

So that’s all for you
to ponder about organic silk. Meanwhile, here are some awesome organic silk
sarees from Jaypore Sarees to ogle.

While, I will see my
silks and shed some tears (crocodile tears? Or maybe caterpillar tears?) till
the organic silk become a little bit more affordable.

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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

It’s a question that I
am asked a lot of times. To be honest, I myself have asked this question. We
all can understand the immediate benefits of having organic food. In simple
layman terms organic food means food without chemicals, insecticides, pesticides,
hormones etc. And we all understand that ingesting food has a direct effect on
our health and which in turn means that chemical free food is directly
beneficial for our health. Same thing goes for cosmetics, since we are putting
them directly on our skin we understand the benefits of chemical-free
cosmetics.

But what about clothes?
Why the hullabaloo about organic cotton?

Cotton is entwined with
our daily lives. Towels, Bed sheets, Blankets, Diapers, Fabric - its
everywhere. It’s the most popular fabric in the world. Cotton evokes images of
purity and comfort and many of us think that it is pure and natural. So we put cotton next to our skin
because it breathes, absorbs and offers comfort.

But turns out that cotton is among the dirtiest crops in the
world. TheEnvironmental Justice Foundation lists 16
pesticides used in cotton growing, many of which are extremely hazardous and
carcinogenic. It uses more chemicals in its production than any other human
grown plant.

You may say, so what? The
pesticides and chemicals are sprayed during the growing, and we are not eating
cotton, we are wearing it, so what does it matter?

Turns out the story
doesn't end there. Manufacturing cotton fiber into fabric and garments consists
of several major processes such as cleaning, spinning, knitting or weaving,
dyeing, finishing, and cleaning. Conventionally manufactured cotton must be
chemically processed to become the soft fiber that consumers love. During
processing, it is subjected to chlorine bleach, heavy metal dyes and
formaldehyde resins (the hidden hazard of 'easy care treatments'). The bleach
is almost worse than pesticides, causing myriad health problems and vast
environmental damage. The chemical residues of these processes constitute the
major sensitivity problems. Washing and dyeing of fabric again involves use of
toxic chemicals.

Which begs the question
– Would you wear toxic chemicals or let your children (who have a delicate and
sensitive skin) wear them?

So, how is organic
cotton good?

Organic Cotton is grown without the use of any
synthetic chemicals i.e., pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Organic
farmers rely on crop rotation to replenish and maintain soil fertility.
Mechanical cultivation and botanical or biological means are used to control
pests and weeds.

A field must be
pesticide-free for at least three years to be certified organic, and the cotton
must be processed according to international organic standards.

Babies and people with
allergies and skin sensitivity benefit greatly from organic cotton. But, even if
your skin is not sensitive, organic cotton would just feel great when you wear
it, when you sleep on it and when you dry yourself with it. It would just feel
right, both for your skin as well as your conscience.